VMware, SuccessFactors add business execution software to cloud

VMware and business execution software developer SuccessFactors are bringing their forces together to create a solution that should add "business execution value" to cloud computing.

To break it down clearly, SuccessFactors will be integrating its business execution software on to VMware's Cloud Foundry Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) platform, in beta.

Developers can use standard languages (i.e. Java, PHP, Ruby-on-Rails, HTML, Ajax, Javascript, etc.) as web service APIs to deploy applications rapidly and flexibly across both public and private clouds.

SuccessFactors founder and CEO Lars Dalgaard boasted in a release that his company has "the world's largest cloud deployments," and support for more than 3,500 customers with 15 million subscription seats. Therefore, partners should be able to develop extensions and integrations of SuccessFactors solutions on Cloud Foundry in an "open and non-proprietary manner."

Dalgaard added that the fruits of this partnership will also "a paradigm shift in the way companies will consume cloud services" because it will create "unseen cross functional business value" while touting it as a lower-risk option for new customers.

So far, SuccessFactors has already built its first application ("within hours") to run on CloudFoundry.com, which combined Google Maps data with SuccessFactors' employee location data deriving from Employee Central, its HR information systems platform. More applications are expected to be on the way soon that will integrate SuccessFactors capabilities with other web applications on Cloud Foundry.